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Jefferson Pierce (New Earth)
The JLA respected his decision and B.L. soon teamed up with Superman to solve the murder of a girl named Trina Shelton, who was shot and killed by a stray bullet during an altercation between Lightning and some muggers. As a result, Pierce lost his internalized powers due to a psychological block. Outsiders Batman kept Pierce in mind when he also grew frustrated with the Justice League. Hoping to rescue his friend Lucius Fox from war-torn Markovia, the Dark Knight recruited Jeff to infiltrate the country, posing as Fox’s brother. Inevitably, he was forced to become Black Lightning and ended up being captured alongside Batman. While prisoners of Baron Bedlam, Batman managed to help Black Lightning recover his electric powers and they escaped from prison. Black Lightning and Batman joined the war in Markovia to defeat Bedlam and after a successful mission, Black Lightning became member of the new team called the Outsiders. As part of the team, Black Lightning was eventually challenged by the Master of Disaster, who were hired to kill him and Black Lightning surrendered to prevent them from killing innocents. The Outsiders rescued Black Lightning, and he learned that the fathers of Trina Sheldon had hired the villains to kill him. At the end of the affair, the mother of Trina forgave him. Later on, Black Lightning protected the Suicide Slum against the Ghetto-Blaster. The next four years saw a new confidence envelop Black Lightning, as he forged new friendships with the Outsiders, found a teaching post at Gotham City’s Edison High, gained a bit of closure in Trina Shelton’s death after a confrontation with her parents, revisited the Olympics and even had an amicable reunion with Lynn Stewart, now the president of a public relations firm. After several years the Outsiders disband and Jeff settled into a teaching job in yet another city. His powers went berserk upon the detonation of the Dominator’s Gene-bomb and Jeff could no longer deny that the power was part of him. Reflecting on his new-found goals, he explained that he’d moved to the so-called Brick City, a neighborhood in his father’s hometown. The ongoing menace of a gang known as the Royal Family figured into a school shooting that left Jeff critically wounded and one of his best friends, teacher Walter Kasko, dead. During Jeff’s physical and emotional recovery, he reflected on his career as Black Lightning and the deaths of so many along the way. Despite the Outsiders' falling out with Batman, Jeff renewed his ties with him to help clear him of charges that he was a serial killer. After the Outsiders, Black Lightning kept a low profile, but continued to appear occasionally alongside his friends and allies. When seven "heavy hitters" reformed the Justice League, Black Lightning became a Reserve member. His efforts during the Mageddon crisis, in particular, were critical as he taxed his abilities like never before, attempting “to tap the electrical field of the planet.” Cabinet Member When Lex Luthor was elected President of the United States, Pierce chose to retire temporarily as Black Lightning and accepted an appointment as President Lex Luthor's Secretary of Education. This surprised many of his former allies but in truth, Pierce saw this as an opportunity to keep tabs on Luthor. In the meantime, his now-22-year-old daughter, Anissa graduated in pre-med at the medical school. She had done this only to satisfy her parents and the very next day, she set out to fight crime, much to the disapproval of her father who had always pursued his own adventures so that his daughter would not have to. She drew the attention of the former Titans member Arsenal, who after the demise of the Titans sought to assemble a new team of Outsiders. She accepted his offer, reasoning that her father might feel better about her crime-fighting if she was in the company of others. Black Lightning came out of retirement to help the Outsiders battle Sabbac. Following this battle, he begged Anissa to give up adventuring, but to no avail. If anything, she was inspired by her father's heroics. When Jefferson returned to the White House, Luthor's successor, President Pete Ross asked for Pierce's resignation as Secretary of Education because the government feared the political implications of having a known super-hero on staff. Jeff complied. Black Lightning's next year would be one of his most tumultuous. He began by reuniting with his Outsiders friend, Metamorpho to clean up an old Outsiders case involving the "human bomb " called Fuse. Katana also joined them on this case. His affiliation with Green Arrow would be his most pivotal. First, his niece, Joanna, was killed after becoming a lawyer in one of Arrow's cases. At the conclusion of this, Black Lightning was responsible for the death of Joanna's killer, Martin Somers — or so he believed. In truth, Deathstroke had seen the whole incident and made the killing blow himself, but he allowed Lightning to believe he'd caused the death. Jeff blamed Ollie in part for Joanna's death (the two of them had been intimate) but they were soon forced into action together again when attacked by Dr. Light. Light was acting in retaliation to the Justice League's erasing his memories years before. Jefferson then revealed to Ollie that the Department of Defense had evidence of the JLA's habit of mind wiping villains (which he discovered while serving on Luthor's cabinet). Dr. Light managed to surprise the heroes and critically injured Green Arrow's young protege, Mia. Jeff was forced to attempt to jump start her heart with his powers. Though Mia was saved, Oliver's home, Star City was not. Dr. Light detonated bomb that took out an entire city block. The ensuing chaos ultimately led to Queen's election to the office of Mayor of Star City. Infinite Crisis Black Lightning was one of the eight people Batman had considered to aid him in destroying the Brother Eye satellite, which controlled the OMACs. Booster Gold, who was not on the list of eight, but knew about the candidates from his knowledge of the future, contacted Lightning before Batman did, as historical data from the future had shown who had aided Batman, and Lightning accepted, arriving at the Batcave to await orders. He then forged an uneasy yet effective alliance with Mister Terrific, combining their powers of electrical manipulation and invisibility to technology to strike the villainous AI from the inside. After the third Secret Society of Super-Villains was formed, Black Lightning began using his status as Luthor's Secretary of Education to gain information from super villains. Outsider Following this and the sacrifice of the Superman of Earth-Two and others in the "Crisis," Jefferson Pierce turned himself in for killing Martin Somers. His friends and family tried unsuccessfully to dissuade him, but he turned himself over to Checkmate, who put him in Iron Heights Prison under the identity of "Derek Cooper." Meanwhile, Nightwing was approached by the Red Hood, who had evidence to acquit Black Lightning. The Hood had eavesdropped on a conversation between Luthor (who was really Alexander Luthor, Jr. in disguise) and Deathstroke, who admitted that he'd killed Somers just as Pierce's lightning struck too. Jeff's daughter Anissa hurried to bring her father the good news, but Pierce wouldn't believe it, and remained in prison. Anissa implored the Outsiders to free her father from prison, which they initially refused. It wasn't long before other inmates discovered the truth about "Cooper" and put a hit on Black Lightning. The gang leader called Skeet charged the young Captain Boomerang to kill him "Cooper." The Outsiders learned of this plot and finally agreed to get him out. Pierce was also eventually convinced that he was innocent of his "charges," and realized the danger of being in Iron Heights. Boomerang had become his cell mate, but young Owen Mercer was not his father's son — he could not bring himself to kill Pierce and became his ally instead. Just as they plotted to escape, Nightwing sent the Outsiders into the prison. Things quickly got out of hand and Warden Wolfe responded by using his metahuman muscle-control powers to bring the prisoners under control. In his anger, his powers caused extreme pain and the Outsider called Shift conjures a gas to counteract the effects. Wolfe responded by increasing his control and killed dozens of guards and prisoners. Shift protected the Outsiders, Jeff and Boomerang from the effect. In this pivotal moment, the Outsiders decided to use this as a ploy to fake their deaths. They sent off a decoy craft which was destroyed. Jeff resumed his life while the world believed that Thunder and the others had died. Justice League of America Black Lightning renewed his career as a costumed adventurer and eventually met up with Hawkgirl on a case in St. Roch, Louisiana. He followed a trail from Metropolis about the recent super-villain activity involving the android body of the Red Tornado. Lightning and Hawkgirl brought one of the villains, Trident, to the Batcave, to show Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman evidence that the Star Conqueror had returned. He aided these heroes in saving the Red Tornado from exploitation by Professor Ivo and Solomon Grundy. All the heroes participating in this case agreed to form a new Justice League, of which Black Lightning was a founding member. Ironically, it was Lightning who was sent to invite Batman to officially join the group. He appears to be primarily based in Washington DC again, and was the first member of the League to respond to the recent attacks made by the Amazons of Themyscira, and even managed to save the President of the United States. Black Lightning learned of Thunder's accident that left her in coma and he rushed to Gotham to check on his daughter.Batman and the Outsiders Vol 2 12 Final Crisis Jefferson is seen trying to deliver papers to those survivors still in need of world information, as all the electronic forms of communication have been taken over by Darkseid's Anti-life equation message system. In doing so he runs into Tattooed Man and his family and helps them escape Darkseid's Justifiers. Eventually Jefferson is captured and forced to become a Justifier himself, but not before setting Tattooed Man on a mission to the Hall of Justice to deliver a message to Green Arrow and carry "The Circuit". As part of the Justifiers, Pierce joined Green Arrow and travelled to the Justice League Watchtower, where they tried to convert Black Canary and Tattooed Man into Justifiers, without success. | Powers = * : Jefferson can generate raw electricity which courses through his body, which he has learned to manipulate, and control to sense sources of electric energy, and administer it as a wide range of attacks with several uses; he can charge devices with electricity, and alternatively drain the energy from them into himself. :* : He can also absorb the energy of electrical equipment such as a power plant to increase his powers further. :* : Ability to project his electricity through his hands to stun his enemies. Pierce can further increase his electrical projections by simply ionizing the hydrogen atoms in the atmosphere so in effect creating ultra-high level static discharges and having the potential to create electrical storms that have hundreds of lightning strikes per minute (the average lightning strike contains a billion volts of electricity). :* : He is able to track the resonance of a broadcast frequency to a location of where its coming from, but if its too subtle then he won't have much success. :* : He can fly by charging his lower body with electric energy. Pierce can theoretically fly at the speed of light. :* : He can also produce highly concentrated electric force fields that are powerful enough to deflect bullets and very high levels of impact such as oncoming vehicles, physical attacks from metahumans, grenades, explosives, artillery fire, missiles, fire, and most energy attacks. :* : He can even assume an electric form which he can use to travel quickly and discreetly. He can also glide over power lines by using the electricity contained therein for propulsion, and has on occasion been shown to actually ride on lightning bolts. :* | Abilities = * : Olympic-level Decathlete. Excelling as a runner, sprinter, swimmer, track & fielder, and gymnast. * : He is a originally a street fighter, but he no doubt honed his fighting skills under Batman's tutelage. * : Jefferson Pierce is a highly educated and skilled teacher, who is widely regarded as the country's number one educator. Jefferson is known to have single handedly been the driving force in turning various decaying public education schools and facilities in various cities in country into the finest in the nation. | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = * Electric Power Belt: Jefferson had to access his powers through a belt; he has since internalized these powers. | Transportation = * Electrical Form: Electricity transportation through power lines or even lightning bolts. | Weapons = | Recommended = * Black Lightning Vol 1 * Black Lightning: Year One Vol 1 * Outsiders: Sum of All Evil | Notes = | Trivia = | DC = None | Links = }} Category:African American Category:Adventurers Category:Athletes